Maine Maritime training ship skipper to retire

CASTINE, Maine — The skipper of Maine Maritime Academy’s 500-foot training ship State of Maine is going to retire next year.

Captain Laurence “Larry” Wade has logged more than 15 training cruises and has guided more than 3,000 student mariners around the world since becoming the training ship’s top officer in 1996. Last summer, the ship logged 11,000 nautical miles and took students to Marseille, France; Kiel, Germany; and Portsmouth, England.

Wade is a 1964 graduate of Maine Maritime Academy who served more than 30 years as a merchant mariner.

College President William Brennan, who announced Wade’s retirement, praised Wade’s service on Friday. He said Wade will be greatly missed.